Good Friday: The Tree of the Cross

John 19:31-42

            This year I’m preaching on the three trees through the triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Last night was about the tree of knowledge, tonight is naturally on the cross, and Easter Sunday is on the tree of life. However, tonight could also be about three trees in a different light—the three crosses. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus has a conversation with the criminals who are hanging on the cross on either side of him. Three crosses: In the middle you have the son of God, through him we have eternal life and on one side you have a criminal who mocks Jesus for not saving them. He is one who has lived his life assuming that the things of this world are what there is. In a way he is the tree of knowledge personified. On the other side, you have a criminal who begs for mercy, saying, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus’ response: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” hints that these trees are not all there is. Between both stands the cross that bore Jesus. The more I think about it; I don’t think any of this is accidental.

            John’s Gospel—the one we read tonight—goes so far out of its way to demonstrate that all of this is planned, orchestrated, and necessary; that Jesus walked this road willingly because we could not. The cross is needed to bridge the criminal on the left and the criminal on the right. They’re all guilty—that’s not the question!—it’s whether anything can save us, all of us, who are guilty. The cross is the tree that bridges the divide between what we are and what we can be once more.

            From the moment we tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge we have sought to become like God. We have set our stock on that tree, and that tree has given us so many little nuggets to keep us happy; it’s taught us how the world works, how to accumulate things, how to make friends. It’s given us just enough of a taste to keep us coming back. It is our drug, our addiction. Our desire—above all other desires—is to be like God.

Maundy Thursday: The Tree of Knowledge

John 19:23-30

            Over this Holy Week I am going to spend some time on the three trees that encompass three central facets in the history of the faith: The tree of knowledge, the tree of the cross, and the tree of life. Tomorrow I’m going to focus on the tree of the cross, as Good Friday begs; and on Easter I’m going to talk on the tree of life alongside the resurrection promise; so today, though it’s not so much in the scripture reading, I am going to talk on the tree of knowledge.

            In Genesis 2 it says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die’” (Genesis 2:15-17).

            Adam and Eve had one rule—just do not eat from this tree!—but as all of us who are parents know if the kids only have one rule you can be assured that that rule will absolutely, certainly, most definitely be broken. So a serpent comes along and tells Adam and Eve, “If you eat from this tree you will not die, that’s just God playing tricks on you. No, the reason God does not want you to eat from this tree is because if you eat from the tree you will be like God, knowing everything” (Genesis 3:4-5 paraphrased).

            Well, that’s tempting. So, they eat the fruit, they learn some new things—for example, they understand they are naked—and suddenly they are thrust out into the world to fend for themselves. In short, they get exactly what they wanted: They get to experience things as they truly are East of Eden. Worst of all, they are promised death—something they couldn’t have really even understood before then. You mean, now there will be this transition? Now, our lives down here will… end? What does that even mean?

            The moment that transition—from life to death—came into the picture a million other questions popped up—Is there something after life? What will it take to fix this? Is the transition painful? Adam and Eve got what they were looking for, but it didn’t satisfy. Their newfound freedom to do whatever they pleased was met by a sour recognition that knowing things does not save you.

Not how Jesus comes in but the way he goes out

John 19:1-16

One more week of Pilate and politics. Are you sick of it yet? I know I am. It’s like we need something different—a break in the usual routine. It’s like we need a week that is holy; a chance to start over.

Unfortunately for me who wants to jump ahead to Easter already, the Palm Sunday story is extremely political. In the Gospel of John it is yet another cautionary tale about allying your faith with the empire and of seeking the king you want rather than the king you need. It’s a reminder that when you do this you end up saying, “You know what, empire, perhaps that sign shouldn’t say “The King of the Jews,” but instead it should say, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” You find yourself in the uncomfortable position where a man who you just treated as the your king is crucified on a hill. Talk about poor marketing for the faith! This is not a great advertisement for the Jewish people.

            The empire wins at this game every time. Pilate won. Pilate got everything he wanted and more. He got the very people who were shouting “Hosanna!” to turn around and crucify their king. Chalk one up for the empire. Do not sell your soul to the principalities and powers, because those powers always win.

Jesus before Pilate: Politics vs faith

John 19:1-6

            The trial of Jesus before Pilate is not at all as it seems.

            There are several things going on underneath the surface here. First is the Gospel of John’s treatment of “the Jews.” It’s generally accepted that the Gospel of John emerges from a time and place where Christians were oppressed by Jewish authorities. This Gospel, having been written at least forty years and maybe as much as seventy years or more after Jesus’ death paints a picture of “the Jews” as enemies of Jesus. This has been a convenient portrayal for many people throughout history who would like a scapegoat for the crucifixion—of course, nowhere was the Gospel of John more misused than under the Third Reich, as justification for the Holocaust. So, first we have to understand what John means by “the Jews” and what to do with that. Second, we need to understand this figure of Pontius Pilate. What is he up to? What are his motivations? And finally, what does the trial of Jesus show us that’s relevant in our lives? Or is this just history irrelevant to the present?

Truth isn't a concept; it's a person

John 18:28-40

“What is truth?” is the best question that anybody asks in the Bible.

            I could be going out on a limb here, but I can’t think of a better one—maybe Peter saying, “Lord to whom shall I go?” though that’s sort of rhetorical. This question is an absolutely seminal moment in the history of the Christian faith. Of course the scene between Jesus and Pontius Pilate is most important because of the looming crucifixion, but it’s also important on its own. Here, Pilate raises one of the great existential questions of every age: What is truth? And Jesus’ response is telling. He gives none.

            That might seem like a let-down. We have this crescendo in the scene where Pilate is raising the stakes, where he and Jesus go back and forth—this game of cat and mouse—with Jesus’ life on the line, and then, at the most critical moment, Pilate raises THE question—the question of all questions. And we wait for Jesus to lay down the hammer—to give the answer to it all. What is truth? Tell us Jesus!

And the curtain falls and we have no answer.

But that’s not remotely true. If we’ve been reading along with the Gospel of John then we know that the question has already been answered before it was asked. Four chapters earlier, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus answered Pilate before Pilate even asked.

Denial means nothing to grace

John 18:12-27

            Even if we don’t know it very well, most of you are probably aware of Peter denying Jesus three times during his arrest. This is a semi-famous scene in the story of Jesus. But I bet fewer of you are aware of the scene after Jesus rises from the dead when he meets with Peter on the shore of the lake. This scene is only in the Gospel of John and we don’t read it in our four year cycle of worship readings at all. It occurs only once every three years in the Revised Common Lectionary, which means it’s probably been ten years since it’s been read in worship here, and even then it was paired with the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples while they are fishing so it’s simply not part of our worship enough. So, today, I am going to give the scene its due.

            The story goes like this: Having denied Jesus three times, which is what we read today, we hear nothing from Peter. Meanwhile, Jesus is crucified, he dies, and for three days there is not a word. Then, suddenly, Jesus reappears on the shore while the disciples are fishing and, after he tells them to fish on the other side of the boat, he meets Peter for breakfast. The Gospel of John picks up the story here:

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ (John 21:15-19)

            Three times Peter denies Jesus and three times he is given a new direction. The resurrection changes everything. Peter is given a second chance, but it’s more than that. This isn’t a shape up or get out moment; it’s Jesus nudging Peter as if to say, “The rules of the game have changed.” It’s no longer about whether you will deny me or not. Now, it’s about whether you love me, and that’s all that matters. As Peter’s story shows we are forgiven not because of our willpower or the goodness of our hearts but because of what God has done for us. All we can do is love in return.